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Monday, March 22, 2010

Twitter Tasting Event: We Are Drinking F----ing Merlot!

I can remember as if it was yesterday. There I was, sitting in the movie theatre watching "Sideways." It was the scene whereupon entering the restaurant the rather dull and morose wine snob character, Miles Raymond shrieked at the top of his lungs, "No! If anyone orders Merlot, I'm leaving. I am NOT drinking any f---ing Merlot!"

It was at that moment I tossed a few popcorn kernels at the movie screen and hissed under my breath, "Well obviously Miles, you haven't tasted any Washington State Merlot."

Movies can influence lives and often for the better. However, it was the movie Sideways that put a cork in the sales of Merlot. Sales took a slump while Miles favorite wine, Pinot Noir had a boost in sales. Unfortunately, not knowing any better, many consumers drank some very bad Pinot Noir and forsaked some excellent Merlot

In the hands of a skilled vintner, there is nothing like a rich Merlot from Washington State. These wines are not only affordable, but many are world class. Merlot has been a key grape for us since the 1980's and in spite of Miles contempt, we are fighting back and keeping the faith for our beloved Merlot. We invite you to show your love, too!

• Locate a Washington Merlot or two or three! Make it your favorite stand-by or grab a couple of new favorites.• Hop or fly and land on Twitter. As you're are tasting your scrumptious Merlot, you can also track the tweets. Follow the hashtag #WAMerlot in a search column and tweet, tweet, tweet away.

You can tweet from home. You can invite your neighbors and friends over and make it a party! We have a party going on here in Walla Walla (email me for info). Tweet from your favorite local winery, wine bar or restaurant. No matter where you are tweeting, just make sure you are tweeting and slurping a Merlot from Washington State!

For more information and how to sign up to show your support, check out: http://wamerlot.eventbrite.com/